This invention relates to a coupon dispenser and collection device. The invention is particularly directed to a device known as a xe2x80x9csweepstake""s boxxe2x80x9d which is typically placed on a checkout counter of a retail establishment and used to dispense and collect coupons connected with a sweepstake""s or related advertising program.
The disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,219, issued Aug. 31, 1999, to Emoff et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,699, issued Nov. 9, 1999, to Simpson, are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
A sweepstake""s box typically comprises a hollow, square box made from heavy cardboard or other relatively rigid sheet material which has a top wall with a centrally-located slot which opens to the interior of the box. A pad of tickets, coupons or fill-in slips, generically referred to herein as xe2x80x9ccouponsxe2x80x9d, which are to be filled in by the consumer is often mounted in a convenient location on the outside of the box so that a customer can easily remove a coupon from the pad, fill in the information as needed on the coupon to qualify as a sweepstake""s entrant, and deposit the coupon in the sweepstake box by dropping it through the slot. Sweepstake""s boxes may have other configurations of slots and coupon pads.
Sweepstake""s boxes provided with pads of coupons have the drawback that one person can easily remove many coupons at the same time and either use or discard the coupons, with the result that many coupons may not be used.
The foregoing U.S. patents disclose pop-up coupon dispensers which have a coupon-filled. box having a slot through which coupons may be removed from the box. As the topmost coupon in a box is removed, the next topmost coupon in the box is partly pulled out of the box through the slot. The Emoff et al. ""219 patent discloses a coupon dispenser which is easily attached to a wire rack, shelf or other location within a retail store, often a grocery store, to advertise products at that location in the store. Similar coupon dispensers which are not provided with means for attachment to a rack or shelf or the like are available from 3M Company of Saint Paul, Minn. Such dispensers are made from heavy paper or cardboard and are so inexpensive that they are considered to be disposable.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved coupon dispenser and collection device. More specifically, an object of this invention is to provide a sweepstake""s box in which sweepstake""s coupons to be filled in are housed within the sweepstake""s box instead of exposed outside the box.
In accordance with this invention, a sweepstake""s box is provided that comprises an outer box having a hollow interior chamber. The box serves as a collection bin for sweepstake""s coupons which have been filled in and inserted into the box through a first slot in the box. In addition, the sweepstake""s box has at least one and preferably two or more additional slots through which coupons are dispensed one-at-a-time. For ease of manufacture and assembly, one or more coupon dispensers, such as those shown in the Emoff et al. ""219 patent and in the Simpson ""699 patent, are mounted in the sweepstake""s box and held therein in any suitable fashion so that the slots in the coupon dispensers are located in alignment with the dispensing opening or openings in the sweepstake""s box.